Opening Up
by megan.daisy.9
Summary: "I ... It's my mother who I'm looking for." - There's always a time where someone finally reveals the worries they've kept bottled up inside them. And sometimes ... a person will be there to listen.
1. Chapter 1: Megan Ellis

QAN: Hey guys, how's it going? Well, um, there's a quite a bit for me to say here. A few days back, I considered doing a rewrite of 'Sunlight: Broken Memories' but in the end, I decided to bring the fanfic back because.. I don't know how I can make the story better. Anyways, what we have here is... basically a short story about a scene I really liked writing. But this time, it will be written in both POVs so.. guess who will be first? :)

Anyways, feel free to leave a review and hope y'all enjoy!

* * *

**Opening Up**

_Megan Ellis_

...

God, I am so nervous.

I decided to head back to my apartment, so I could clear my head, get a few other supplies and figure out how I was going to phrase my revelation. Sonic was okay with that, but ... I could tell he was becoming rather worried about me.

_Well, I'm a tough kid. So ... There's no need to worry. You just gotta keep running._

After gathering some extra first-aid kits and health drinks I found in Silent Hill, I noticed that the blood-stains on my blue striped jacket had grown worse since our arrival to the forest. Just like I'd done before entering Room 303, I tore through the clothes in my wardrobe and eventually found a purple long-sleeved flannel shielding itself away from the sunlight outside my window.

"Aha!" I chirped, taking off my blue one and putting the new jacket on. "Perfect!"

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself together and walked back into the living room. I really wanted to know how Tails and the gang were doing with everything that occured so far. I ... can't even describe how bad I feel for them. I'd be in exactly the same position if any of my loved ones were attacked in the same brutal manner.

_Who can blame them...?_

Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found. I assumed that they were still at St Jerome's Hospital or ... maybe having a small walk in the park, trying to take their minds of the situation.

I sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry, guys..."

To be honest, if I had managed to get in there before the man showed up, Sonic would be okay and I would've been attacked instead. I'm the sort of person who would go to great lengths to protect my family and loved ones. It's ... just who I am, basically.

However, there were two people in the bedroom; our superintendent, a really lovely woman in her mid to late forties and a younger policeman who was pacing here and there, obviously thinking about the events from before.

"So, they took the victim to St Jerome's, huh...?" The woman wanted to know.

"Yeah, he's not going to make it," The policeman repiled. "He was attacked in the same manner as Eileen Galvin was, three weeks ago."

Argh! Sonic's still alive and breathing, he's going to be okay! Ugh ... I'll show these cops.

"Walter Sullivan copycat. Round 4, eh?"

"They never got the murderer behind the previous three rounds. Maybe, it's the same person." Our superintendent muttered under her breath, crossing her arms in thought as she sat down on the bed.

"Now, what if—"

"What?"

The policeman sighed in frustration. "Let me finish. Anyway, what if ... Rounds 2 and 3? What if ... They're all the same person?"

Upon hearing those words, the superintendent sprung from the bed in a fit of rage. "What the hell are you TALKING about?! ... You know Sullivan killed himself!"

I agreed with her 100%. Walter Sullivan's dead. I remembered reading a news report about the cops saying that they even found his corpse. At first, I believed that it was an insane copycat too. But now ... I wasn't so sure.

Not wanting to hear anymore, I pulled myself up to my feet and made my way into my bedroom where the hole was waiting.

After putting on my backpack, I took a deep breath and crawled into the hole.

* * *

_(Back in Forest World, East Side...)_

Once I emerged, I shut my eyes briefly to control my emotions. My heart was beating faster and faster by the minute and already, I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I quickly wiped them away and put on a facade of calmness.

"Damn it kid," I scolded myself. "If you got time to worry, then run..."

Deep down, I absolutely loved that quote. Every time I heard Sonic say that one particular line, I would always brighten up and let a wide grin crease my cheeks. The fact that he also said it to me and the Herd, unprompted, makes me love it even more.

He was there, having not moved from when I last saw him. Sonic was leaning against the railing, gazing at the massive Toluca Lake which led to the mountains and small buildings on the other side. One thing I liked about my idol so much was that he always took an interest in exploring new places and meeting new friends.

I walked slowly up to him, repeating that one quote in my head again and again.

"Sonic?"

Upon hearing his name being spoken, my idol immediately turned round to face me with one of his usual friendly smiles.

"Hey kid!"

I tried to smile back and the good thing was that I managed to succeed, only just. I quickly re-adjusted my ponytail as I went over to join Sonic. From the look on his face, he could definitely tell that something was bothering me.

"So, er, what have you been up to, whilst I was gone?" I asked, resting my arms against the railing and looking out across the lake.

The blue blur just shrugged. "Eh, not much. Just been waiting for you to come back, really." He answered with a cheerful chuckle. "How's Tails and the gang doing?"

"I ... I didn't see them." I replied sadly. "They're probably still at the hospital, I think."

Letting out a small sigh, I gripped the metal railing tightly and locked eyes with Sonic. "I can't even describe how bad I feel for them."

"Oh," My idol murmured, frowning. "Well once we all get out of here, I'll be checking up on those guys for sure. You want to come with?"

Hearing this, my eyes lit up slightly. "Yeah, sure. I'm huge fans of them too, so of course I'll be there."

There was a small moment of silence between us afterwards. I began thinking back to all of the pleasant memories I had with my mother. I remembered one when the two of us finished Sonic's story in 06, we were laughing our heads off at the look on his face as he and Elise were flown up to the surface by a sudden explosion.

_God, that was so funny._

"...hey," I murmured, trying my best not to grin. "I, ah ..., I'm not sure if you remember this since it was nine years ago..."

I guessed that Sonic already knew what I was going to say, since he was shaking his head and grinning at me with amusement. "If this is what I think it is, I am going to chase both you and Elise down when this is over,"

_Bring it on!_

"I'm sorry ..." I said, giggling both genuinely and a little cheekily. "It's just that ... You should have seen yourself when you guys were brought back up!"

On one hand, I felt rather disappointed in myself for making fun of Sonic. But on the other hand, I knew that both Elise and Tails had done it aswell so .. I was pretty much going to be alright.

"That's it," My idol said, advancing towards me and wiggling his gloved fingers, which told me exactly what he was going to do. "C'mere you!"

Having burst into fits of laughter, I tried to dodge him but in the end, he managed to tackle me and pulled the both of us up from the ground, tickling me where my neck was. My head fell down slightly towards Sonic's hand in an attempt to make him stop and soon enough, he was laughing too.

_I never had so much fun in my life..._

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! You can let me go now..." I squealed, trying my best to calm down.

After he did, I re-adjusted my ponytail again and grinned at my idol. "Man, you really do know how to make a kid smile there, mate."

"I can't help it," Sonic chirped in reply, giving me a friendly wink which I returned. "It's just who I am!"

Hearing this, I gave a cheerful laugh and went over to sit down by the railing, taking off my backpack before. Just as he had done back in the subway station, Sonic joined me, this time sitting on my left.

"Hey," My idol said after a while. "You ... told me you wanted to talk to me about something." I turned to look at him, seeing concern written all over his face. "Is everything alright...?"

_... Here we go..._

"Um, sort of." I began, steeling myself together. "The, ah... reason why I'm here in the otherworlds is that..."

Memories of the murders and my mother's disappearance began flashing repeatedly in my head. I didn't want the same thing to happen to the one family member who always stuck by me, through both good times and bad. If it did, I don't know what I would do with myself. Should I ... just keep going or ... What do I do?!

I shut my eyes tightly in a desperate effort to control my emotions and put those horrible moments to one side. My chest was now rising and falling quickly with panic surging through me. I didn't know what else to do if I failed...

"I'm ... looking for someone. My ..." I continued, squeezing my eyes even more shut. I was snapped back to reality by Sonic gently wrapping an arm around my shoulders, sensing the sadness and turmoil that I was going through.

"Hey..." He whispered. "You can tell me anything..."

I opened my eyes as I heard this and nodded. "I ... It's my mother who I'm looking for."

As soon as those words left my mouth, I buried my face in my hands, shaking uncontrollably. I wasn't sobbing but I was dangerously close to doing so. "I ... returned home from school and ... there was this note saying that if I wanted to see her again ... I'd have to ... go through a lot to get to her."

"So ... I did, and ... I just want my mum _back_!"

The very last sentence came out as a broken cry which echoed all around us. Sonic was looking at me with strong sympathy as he began to slowly pull me a little towards him. I knew that he wasn't good with physical contact and neither was I. But just like with Elise back in Crisis City, I let it happen.

"I ... I don't know what to say," My idol murmured as he looked down at me. "Although, I promise you, I'll do what I can to help."

_And I know you never break them._

Feeling slightly better, I let a small smile crease my cheeks. "Thanks, Sonic. That really means a lot."

Once those words left my mouth, we remained in silence for a while. I managed to open my eyes and lift my head up as I struggled to calm myself down. I was a tough and jaded kid who was sometimes a bit vulnerable in places. But I wasn't going to let that stop me.

"Well, time for us to get going!" My idol said cheerfully as he pulled himself up to his feet. "Hey Megan, you coming?"

That was ... literally the first time Sonic addressed me by name unprompted. Deep down, I thought to myself ... Maybe he could turn out to be a really good friend like all of the Herd have been. "Yeah, I am, don't worry."

I quickly pulled myself up and went to join my idol. I didn't know what was going to happen next, but I knew for certain that I had a new friend in the making.

_And things were going to be okay with him._

* * *

QAN: I know this is the orignal chapter, but things will be different in the next one. :) Anyways, next up is Sonic!


	2. Chapter 2: Sonic the Hedgehog

QAN: Hey guys, sorry that this took long to write as I was rather busy with exams. But yeah, we now have Sonic's POV! :) Be sure to keep an eye out for Chapter 37 of my 'Sunlight' fanfic. Feel free to leave a review and hope y'all enjoy!

* * *

_Sonic the Hedgehog_

...

Straight away, I knew that something was wrong.

Whenever Tails, Amy or Elise were upset, I'd always jump in to put a smile on their faces and find out what the problem was. I didn't like seeing my friends low or downcast, so if they ever needed someone to talk to, I was always there. And now I'm trapped in a set of freaky otherworlds with a young girl and group of animals whom I didn't expect to meet. I mean ..., aren't mammoths and smilodons supposed to be extinct since they were around thousands of years ago...?

_It was a huge shock. But hey, I guess life can surprise ya._

As I leaned against the metal railing and looked out across the massive Toluca Lake, I couldn't help but think about one of the adventures I had nine years ago. Even though those events were erased, both Elise and I seemed to remember them. Travelling across the kingdom, getting hurled into the future and stopping Eggman from his evil schemes. Megan, Peaches and Louis seemed interested in how we met up again, since they asked us at least once or twice during our travels.

_Heh, heh... Maybe once we're all out, Elise and I could tell them the full story._

_Speaking of which, guess who decided to sneak up on me...?_

"Sonic?"

I almost jumped out of my fur when I heard my name being spoken. Knowing full well who the voice belonged to, my lips curled up in a huge smile as I turned to find myself face to face with a light-brown haired 16 year old girl whose eyes clearly matched my own. Instead of the blue striped jacket she wore the last time I saw her, a checked purple flannel covered most of the white t-shirt and a small portion of her dark blue jeans. Megan stood before me, smiling back sadly which instantly made me even more concerned for her.

"Hey kid!"

Megan quickly re-adjusted her ponytail before she joined me, resting her arms against the metal railing. "So, er, what have you been up to, whilst I was gone?"

"Eh, not much. Just been waiting for you to come back, really." I shrugged, letting out a cheerful chuckle as I did so. "How's Tails and the gang doing?"

_Hopefully, they're doing okay... _

I wondered if my friends were still at the hospital, or maybe taking a walk out in the park to keep their minds off what happened to me. Though, it was very unlikely that they were at the party we missed. Wether it was already in full swing or finished, I don't know. But, I was hoping to chaos that they were alright.

"I ... I didn't see them." Was the answer I got. "They're probably still at the hospital, I think."

With a look of guilt, Megan let out a small sigh as she locked her eyes with mine. "I can't even describe how bad I feel for them."

I have to admit, I was slightly suprised. She didn't do anything wrong at all! Maybe, it was something to do with what she and the Herd went through before I arrived. I didn't hear much about it, but all I knew was that after Elise, there were two other people who unfortunatley got murdered by the same man who happened to be somewhere in the forest right now. Agh... I wished that I showed up earlier, so I could have helped my friends save Elise and those two victims.

_But you've shown up now. And you're helping them which is good!_

"Oh," I murmured, frowning as I took another quick glance at Toluca Lake. "Well once we all get out of here, I'll be checking up on those guys for sure. You want to come with?"

Hearing this, the young girl's eyes lit up at the thought of hanging out with me and Team Sonic. To be honest, I would have been exactly the same if I was in her place and someone I idolised asked me if I wanted to come and spend some time with them and their friends. "Yeah, sure. I'm huge fans of them too, so of course I'll be there."

_Yes!_

There was a small moment of silence between us afterwards. I began thinking about how Elise and the Herd were handling the situation we were stuck in. If we all did manage to get out, then ... maybe they and Megan could join our gang. That would be pretty cool! We could explore new places, meet new people and just have a great time with each other. Heh, heh... I quite like the sound of that idea.

For some reason when I looked back at my young friend, she was smirking at a thought that came into her head. I couldn't help but shake my head with amusement as I had one guess on what she was about to say to me.

"...hey," Megan murmured, trying her best not to grin. "I, ah ..., I'm not sure if you remember this since it was nine years ago..."

"If this is what I think it is, I am going to chase both you and Elise down when this is over," I challenged, letting a grin crease my cheeks once I saw her smile widen.

"I'm sorry ..." The teenager said, giggling both genuinely and a little cheekily. "It's just that ... You should have seen yourself when you guys were brought back up!"

_You cheeky little monkey!_

We were both up to the point where one of us could burst out laughing any minute. A mischevious idea formed in my head as I allowed an evil smirk to crease my cheeks. I began advancing towards my young friend, wiggling my fingers which instantly told her what I was going to do.

"That's it, c'mere you!"

Having burst into fits of laughter, Megan tried to dodge my move but in the end, I managed to tackle her and pulled the both of us up from the ground, tickling her where her neck was and making a rather cute giggle come out of her mouth. The young girl's head fell down slightly towards my gloved hand in an attempt to make me stop and soon enough, I was laughing too.

_That was ... literally one of the best days I ever had._

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! You can let me go now..." Megan squealed, trying her best to calm down.

After I eventually did, she re-adjusted her ponytail again and sent a huge grin in my direction. "Man, you really do know how to make a kid smile there, mate."

"I can't help it," I chirped in reply, giving the teenager a friendly wink which she returned. "It's just who I am!"

Hearing this, Megan gave a cheerful laugh and went over to sit down by the railing, taking off her backpack before. Just as I had done back in the subway station, I decided to join her, this time sitting on her left. "Hey," I said after a while. "You ... told me you wanted to talk to me about something."

I thought that maybe, now was the perfect time to find out what was bothering my young friend and to see if I could help in any way. I loved my friends and meeting new people. Just like I said seconds ago, it's who I am! "Is everything alright...?" I asked Megan, with concern lacing my tone.

"Um, sort of." She began, steeling herself together. "The, ah... reason why I'm here in the otherworlds is that..."

All I could do was listen. I really wanted to help and make her smile or laugh again. I remembered several times when Elise was feeling upset, I'd always tell her to just smile. And it worked everytime, which was a relief. Megan shut her eyes tightly in a desperate effort to control her emotions. Her chest was now rising and falling quickly with panic surging through her. The concern I had for my young friend was now changing to strong sympathy as she continued to tell me her problem.

"I'm ... looking for someone. My ..." She continued, squeezing her eyes even more shut. Megan was looking for someone who she was on good terms with, or a family member. Poor kid... I didn't know what I could say to make everything go from negative to positive. So, I did the one thing I knew that a friend or a sibling would do. I gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, sensing the sadness and turmoil that the young kid was going through.

"Hey..." I whispered. "You can tell me anything..."

Megan opened her eyes as she heard my words and nodded. "I ... It's my mother who I'm looking for."

As soon as those words left her mouth, she buried her face in her hands, shaking uncontrollably. That ... really hit me. She kept her worries bottled up inside her for _that _long. Words can't even describe how bad I felt for my friend. Megan was just a kid, trapped in a horror world and looking for the one family member who stuck by her from the beginning!

"I ... returned home from school and ... there was this note saying that if I wanted to see her again ... I'd have to ... go through a lot to get to her."

"So ... I did, and ... I just want my mum _back_!"

The very last sentence came out as a broken cry which echoed all around us. I hated to see Megan like this, upset and torn. She was so cheerful and happy when we first met in St Jerome's Hospital that I thought anyone would like her. But it turns out, I was wrong about that. "I ... I don't know what to say," I murmured sympathetically as I pulled Megan towards me for a small hug. "Although, I promise you, I'll do what I can to help."

_And I'm known for not breaking my promises._

Feeling slightly better, she let a small smile crease her cheeks. "Thanks, Sonic. That really means a lot."

Once those words left her mouth, we remained in silence for a while. Megan managed to open her eyes and lift her head up as she struggled to calm herself down. I looked down and gently stroked her shoulder with my thumb, giving her a gentle smile in an attempt to make everything okay.

She was a tough and jaded kid who was sometimes a bit vulnerable in places. I knew she wasn't going to let that stop her, and I liked that a lot. I was going to help Megan get through her quest with Elise and the Herd. Who knows? We may get a good result!

"Well, time for us to get going!" I said cheerfully as I pulled myself up to my feet. "Hey Megan, you coming?"

That was ... actually the first time I addressed her by name unprompted. Deep down, I thought ... Maybe she could become a really good friend like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow and Elise. "Yeah, I am, don't worry." Megan repiled, pulling herself up and following me.

I wasn't really sure on what was going to occur next, but I knew that I had made a new friend. And meeting new people was always one of my favourite things.

_Heh, heh... I guess we'll have to wait and see what exciting adventures are coming up..._


End file.
